Should we be allowed to delete our topics?

Greetings everyone.

Thought we needed to discuss something about forum functionality and forum moderation.

Right now posters are allowed to delete Topics if we were the one who started it. This goes for all the different fora.

When we delete a topic none of the posters who replied in that topic gets notified and all of the posts in it are of course gone and can no longer be found.


Those are the basic objective facts. Now over to subjective stuff.


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Since this is possible then most posters will never use it, some will use it for limited things like the Player Market, while others will be using it more frequently.
Goes with the territory and nothing wrong with that.

Most posters will put some effort into their posts and will not be happy about their posts being removed with no notification and with no possibility to see what was gone.
If they had a differing opinion vs the OP poster then they usually express feeling of censorship or waste of time.
Also goes with the territory and nothing wrong with that.


Since we have some such posters who use this frequently and some fallout from that I have regularly done a PSA (public service announcement) when I see that happening. In that if a topic has been deleted and the poster directly post another identical or similar topic, then in that topic I post:
"
Fair warning to would be posters: the OP poster posted an identical/similar topic which the OP poster deleted.

So be adviced that you might not want to put too much effort into posting in this topic since it could be deleted again. A tip if you want to write something lengthy then post that in a different topic and link it instead.
"

This used to be OK, but now I've been moderated a couple of times and got a warning as well for doing this (personal attack). Which most likely means that the PSA message got reported.

So it seems that we are allowed to delete topics but we are not allowed to point out when that happens.


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Opinion time:

If we want healthy discussions and productive dialog in these forums then I see this as a simple choice for the forum rules.

Either A)
Don't allow us to Delete our topics. Change the setting in Xenforo.
Or B)
IF we are allowed to Delete our topics then we must ALSO be allowed to point out when that happens and post such PSA like the one above without moderation.

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I would be Ok with either option - but I'm not Ok with us having the ability to delete but not being allowed to point out such deletion when they happen.


This because people sometimes spend hours and hours discussing topics which are then deleted without a trace when the OP poster feels like the discussion is finished or derailed.

Or you post a Poll or Discussion that doesn't goes the way you wanted. You then delete, wait a while and try again until you do get it to go the way you want it. Then for posterity and in the public it looks like the only discussion that exists went the way it did.

When we are moderated there is a protocol to how to review such decisions or even overturn them. Where if an OP poster deletes there is no such protocol.


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Please note that I have not discussed this properly with @Berek or @dallas yet, I thought I'd only do that after getting some feedback and opinions from other posters.

Happy hunting

Spoon

 

My opinion:
Delete topic only if no replies. OP does not get to delete other's posts.

 

I want to delete the whole forum.

 

I wouldn't bother posting to a thread whose author has a tendency to delete them. So notifications would be nice so I can gauge whether it's worth the effort posting the next time.

Greatly appreciate the heads up you give @Spoon - sorry it got you a warning.

 

If I reply do you promise not to delete this topic?

In general I think that deleting anything without an abundance of just cause should be very restricted. As you point out, a lot of effort sometimes goes into the discussion. Whilst it can be said the the poster owns his own posts, he should not have the right to be able to remove other's opinions. Perhaps some alternatives that could help (assuming Xenforo allows them):

- You can delete posts if nobody else has resounded
- If you try to delete a post then a moderator must approve (guidance needed for moderators on what is acceptable to remove)
- exclude certain forums (e.g.: marketplace)

 

I'd agree with this. Leave it to the moderators to handle if a discussion gets out of hand; I would not want to see people deleting threads just to silence differing opinions.

 

I should clarify that it wasn't a warning that goes against my access, just a simple pointer to a specific rule. So I don't feel any worry whatsoever about it.
Just in case I wasn't clear enough.

Hoho. That would be a delicious irony. Now I feel tempted.


Unfortunately Xenforo basic doesn't support those solutions you listed.
Portalarium only wants to use the basic without custom addons.

 

I recently deleted a topic about quests and the path of love. That was because the information was out dated (OP was over a year old) and the thread kept getting necroed by people.

I then created a new thread with a similar title with new information from the current release.

I think this was a good use of the delete function and helped make these forums a better place. That's why I support having the ability to delete your own threads.

 

Wouldn't a lock be more appropriate? The history is retained but it cannot be necro'd.

 

This topic has gone back and forth a few times since I've moderated the forums. It can go either way, kind of depends on the community and how we react to each other.

The forums could easily go to no-delete again, I have no problem with that. Marketplace already is of this status.

In your example Baron Drocis, it could fall on the community to Report posts that need deleting... which may overload our moderation team, but we can always test it out.

 

Or a lock. Depends on topic and situation, but yes.

 

It is great to have the option to delete your own thread.

Main Reason i have deletet my own startet threads.

1. The first responding comments right away are totally off topic or on purpose taking the thread out of context or did not even read my post to understand what i would like to talk about.

I then delete and restart the thread in hope of it staying on topic. At least the first pages. Later i do not care.




2. Second main reason i delete my own threads is if i notice on the responds that i failed to communicate my opening post correct causing a misunderstanding what i wanted to talk about.

3. And last but not least - i am in an emotional angry state and post a thread i later find useless or not worthy of discussing anymore with the people who participate in this Forum.
So i delete to not talk negative about a product the remaining love.

 

Having spent a fair bit of energy recently to find "someone" (of course I have no idea who but assume the OP) deleted the thread I find myself in the it should be locked because a lot of proper good info was in there and maybe just cos the OP didnt get the answer they want doesnt mean it should get removed

 

I don't want to lose my ability to remove a thread using my own best judgement because some others have abused that privilege.

I think if a player repeatedly does this, it is fair to point out. The way you point it out may matter with moderation. And you could post in the thread or bring the concern to a moderator.

There's also probably the ability to UNdelete a thread, and you could always request bringing it back. I don't think that starting a thread for discussion means you are Lord of the Thread... unless perhaps that thread is about something you own/want to showcase. An event or a town or your own art projects or something of that nature.


.

 

no one likes to lose things cos someone else abused it - but we all do almost on a daily basis.. if people cant be trusted to play nice.... TBH I think the person Im thinking of has a severe habbit of it, however, what do you do, write to port and act like a whiner cos lets face it you dont lose face for a deleted thread

 

I knew instantly who this was about and agree that person has a severe habit of this. I don't follow too closely, but it appears to me they post and if players don't follow the script and post supportive messages they delete the thread and try again. I could be wrong however.

 

Remove Delete topic everywhere else but in Player Market where it is needed

...but also add bug forums. devs don't need to see my occassional duplicate because i was too hasty.

 

Lol i know what sparked this poll spoon.


Timer for self delete say 5 min. Then leave it.

No timer in marketplace.

 

I'd really like if the OP could mark their post as Closed or Hidden, so it would still be viewable for those who had posted to it (via the "Your Content" link) and for the devs, but it would not be searchable and other users couldn't find it. That would be the ideal solution. Probably not something the forum software does easily.

 

YES! As long as there are no replies.